Staff Reporter :
Masum Mohammad alias Akash has given a statement under Section 164 in the court confessing to the killing of Awami League leader Zahidul Islam alias Tipu, and college student Samia Afnan on a busy road in the city’s Shahjahanpur. He testified it in the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court on Tuesday.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Tofazzal Hossain recorded his statement. After taking the statement, he was sent to jail in the evening. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner of Crime and Information (DC) Zafar Hossain confirmed it to the media.
Earlier, former General Secretary of Motijheel Thana Awami League Zahidul was shot dead in Amtala Mosque area of Shahjahanpur around 10 pm on March 24. College student Samia Afnan , who was going by a rickshaw at that time, was also shot dead. Masum was arrested on March 27 by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DB). The following day, the court granted him a seven-day remand. On Tuesday afternoon, Masum was produced in the court after remand.
Investigation officer of DB inspector Mohammad Yasin Sikder requested to record the confessional statement of the accused.
Rafiqul Islam, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Motijheel division of the DB, told the media that Masum was living in seclusion from his family as he was accused in several cases including murder. He has been suffering from depression.
Masum said during interrogation that he was promised release from the cases if he could kill Jahidul. Regarding the weapons and motorcycles used in the murder, Masum said that an acquaintance had given him weapons and motorcycles.
After the incident, he handed over the weapon and the motorcycle to the owner. Awami League leader Omar Farooq and five others arrested in the case are still in DB custody. Others are Abu Saleh Sikder alias Shooter Saleh (38), Nasir Uddin alias Killer Nasir (38), Morshedul Alam alias Kailya Palash (51) and Arfan Ullah.
